Dare to Seduce

by Carly Phillips

  And that scared the crap out of him.

  “Didn’t anyone teach you that you don’t shit where you sleep?” Max asked.

  “Same could apply to you.” Sebastian grinned, rolling his shoulder in a casual shrug at the same time.

  Shit. “Then how about backing the fuck off because you have a little respect for your boss?”

  Sebastian slapped Max on the back. “I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

  And for the first time, Max regretted bringing Lucy in on his project.

  After leaving Soho, Max returned to his apartment and headed to the gym. He spent a long time beating the crap out of a punching bag, pretending it was Sebastian’s pretty face instead. He had a soft spot for his old friend, and he appreciated his culinary talent, but the man was a cocky bastard with little respect for anyone else’s territory. He winced, just imagining how Lucy would take him referring to her that way. He finished up with a sauna, then returned home.

  He flipped his phone around in his hand, debating on acting on the urge to put an end to this nonsense and calling Lucy. Time and space were well and good, but it wasn’t helping him make headway with her. He needed to be with her again in order to convince her of what she was throwing away.

  He dialed her number before he could change his mind. It rang and rang… he was about to hang up when he heard her voice, along with a lot of loud noise and music in the background. “Lucy?”

  “Max!” Lucy said.

  “Let me talk to him!” Max heard Sebastian’s voice loudly beside her and gritted his teeth.

  “Max, buddy. You should come party. It’s awesome here!” Sebastian shouted into the phone.

  “Where’s here?” Max asked.

  “Glam! I’ll leave your name at the door.”

  “Sebastian, you’d better be watching out for Lucy until I get there,” Max warned him.

  “No worries. I’m taking good care of her,” he said, laughing as he disconnected the call.

  Max swore and headed to his bedroom to change into club-appropriate clothing or he wouldn’t get into Glam, let alone near Lucy.

  * * *

  Lucy hadn’t been out for fun since arriving in New York, and she arrived at Glam excited to finally have something to do in this city beyond brood over her love life. Sebastian had private seating, for which he’d paid more money than Elite normally collected for their best tables. The champagne was flowing to celebrate the fact that a guy named Darrin Coash had gotten an acting job and would be leaving for L.A. at the end of the week.

  Sebastian hung with an eclectic group of celebrity types, men and women, Broadway and off-Broadway actors, soap opera stars, and wannabes who’d barely booked their first television commercial. All were fun and welcoming, and Lucy relaxed, sharing alcohol and listening to their stories.

  She had a light, happy buzz going when her phone rang and she saw Max’s name flash on the screen. Instinct had her answering, pushing aside all those pesky concerns because she wanted to hear his voice.

  “Max!”

  “Let me talk to him!” Sebastian, who sat beside her, grabbed her cell. “Max, buddy. You should come party. It’s awesome here!” He shouted to be heard over the background music and noise.

  Max must have asked where they were, because Sebastian said, “Glam! I’ll leave your name at the door.” Then… “No worries. I’m taking good care of her,” he said, laughing as he disconnected the call.

  “Max is coming here?” she asked him.

  “He sure is. Let the fun begin,” Sebastian said, calling a cocktail waitress over and ordering another bottle of champagne.

  She had another drink, then Sebastian grabbed her and led her onto the dance floor. With a fast beat going, they, along with everyone else, had their hands in the air, clapping and moving to the music. When the next song slowed things down, Lucy knew it was time to reclaim her seat.

  Since it was too loud to speak, she pulled away from him and gestured to their table, set higher and behind a privacy rope. Sebastian shook his head, spun her, and pulled her against him, so she had no choice but to sway to the music.

  Lucy decided to give in for this one dance, and then she’d leave without making a scene. To his credit, Sebastian didn’t make a move. His hand remained on her lower back, never slipping to her ass, and he kept a respectful distance between them. The music ended, and it was silent for a few moments.

  Sebastian lifted her hand and kissed her, bowing lightly. “Thanks for the dance, sweetheart.”

  Lucy was about to roll her eyes at his exaggerated gallantry when a brunette barged between them and shoved Lucy out of the way. “Get your hands off my man, you white trash bitch!”

  Lucy stumbled back, hitting a hard male body. Strong hands grasped her shoulders, keeping her from falling. She righted herself and turned so she could apologize to the man only to find it was Max who’d saved her from sprawling to the floor.

  “What the fuck?” he asked over the music, which had restarted.

  Lucy pointed to the brunette with the bad attitude, still screaming at Sebastian. A security guard had arrived and separated the two, but she was still spouting off and trying to get near him.

  “That’s his crazy ex,” Max muttered.

  She was crazy, all right. Lucy wasn’t the type to get into a catfight with any woman, but she wasn’t one to let someone walk all over her either. She started back toward Sebastian, but Max tugged her against him.

  “Let Sebastian and security handle it,” he said, keeping her close with an arm around her middle, sliding his hand around to her front, keeping his palm over her belly.

  She liked this possessive side of him, which surprised her considering she’d spent her later teenage years dealing with overprotective men. But with Max’s strong arms around her, the sense of comfort and familiarity turned more sexual, a reminder of how her body responded to him. Her nipples puckered, and her sex grew heavy and warm, an automatic reaction to his touch, and she sucked in a startled breath. How could a sane woman ever resist him?

  “Sebastian, you okay?” Max asked, his voice rough in her ear.

  Lucy blinked, coming out of her desire-filled stupor, and realized that one of the guards had, in fact, escorted the woman out of the club.

  Sebastian, looking frazzled and less put together than he’d been earlier, met Max’s gaze and nodded. “Yes.” He shook his head as if clearing it, turning his attention to Lucy. “I’m sorry for that. I had no idea Gia was so damned possessive.”

  “That’s not possessive, it’s insane. I think you need a restraining order,” Max muttered.

  Lucy agreed with a nod.

  “We’ll see. I don’t think she’ll make such a public scene again. Getting thrown out of here is pretty damned humiliating on its own.” His gaze fell to Max’s hand, still on her stomach. “Speaking of possessive… what’s going on between you two?”

  “It’s complicated,” Lucy said.

  “And none of your damned business except you need to keep your hands off her from now on.”

  “Max!” Lucy said, embarrassed by his display. “Don’t be rude!”

  “Rude? Really? I walk in here and find you in his arms?” he asked as the music started up again. “I’ll show you rude,” he muttered and, without warning, hefted her over his shoulder and headed for the back hall.

  Chapter Seven

  “Max, put me down!” Lucy yelled at him, leaving him no choice but to aim a well-placed swat on her ass. He passed a few open-mouthed people who said nothing as he strode past the restroom and into the back office.

  “What the hell?” Mason Ford, the owner and a friend of Max’s for years, jumped to his feet from behind the desk. “Savage, what’s going on?”

  “Put me down!” Lucy said, pounding on his back.

  “Need your office for a little while,” Max said, ignoring her.

  Mason studied them warily. “Am I going to have the cops here later?”

  “Yes!” Lucy sa
id.

  “No¸” Max promised him.

  “Good enough for me,” Mason said, striding past them. “Lock the door behind me and call me when I can come back in.” He turned back as he reached the entrance. “Good luck. Looks like you’re going to need it.” He chuckled and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

  Max hit the lock before letting Lucy slide to her feet. “Max Savage, I could kill you. That was mortifying!”

  “You want to talk about embarrassing? Did I or did I not find you in the arms of another man?” Every cell in his body rebelled against the notion. Hell, his pupils still burned from seeing Sebastian’s hands on her back, her stomach, and her exposed skin.

  “You and I aren’t together!” Her brown eyes shot angry sparks.

  “No?” he asked, his jaw aching from grinding his teeth together. “Okay, then you won’t mind if I walk out there and pick up the first hot chick I find, take her home, and—”

  Her hand shot out and covered his mouth. “Okay, you made your point!”

  He couldn’t stop the slow grin that spread on his lips but made sure to lick her palm before she yanked her hand away, sexual awareness finally back in her expression.

  “That make you jealous, princess?” he asked, satisfaction filling him.

  Because she couldn’t deny it, she pouted instead. But Max wasn’t finished making his point. Not by a long shot.

  “Then how do you think I felt, calling you only to hear you were with Sebastian? Then walking in here and finding you wearing this sexy-as-fuck leather miniskirt and cropped top, with his hands all over you?” Max’s blood boiled at the memory of what he’d seen.

  She sighed, the defiant set of her shoulders slipping. “We were just dancing.”

  “His hands were on you,” he bit out again. He grasped her thigh possessively in one hand, feeling the heat of her flesh against his palm. “Nobody has the right to touch this body except me.”

  “Max.” The words came out on a husky whisper.

  His hand drifted upward, barely teasing her damp panties. “Whose body is this?” he asked, his finger swiping teasingly over her covered clit.

  She bit down on her lower lip and moaned, arcing her hips forward, seeking more contact.

  “I mean it, princess. Answer me.” He lifted her and settled her on the edge of the desk, shoving her skirt up and spreading her legs wide so he could step in between.

  A glance down showed him her panties were, indeed, wet with desire. His cock swelled, the need to unzip and feel her hot pussy swell around him driving him hard.

  But he was on a mission for more than a quick fuck she’d regret the minute it was over. When it came to Lucy, he was greedy. He wanted more. Hell, he wanted it all. He pressed his thumb hard against her swollen clit, unrelenting as he played with the hardened nub.

  She moaned, her entire body vibrating with need. “I need to come,” she managed, panting and arching her sex into his hand.

  “And you will as soon as you tell me nobody else can touch this wet pussy except me.”

  He slid his finger beneath the scrap of fabric and rubbed hard over the distended bud, flesh to flesh this time, keeping his touch light enough to arouse. Not hard enough to allow for climax.

  She leaned back, her breasts pressing insistently against her top, nipples poking out and begging him to suckle her through the fabric.

  “Max, please.” She drew out the last word, begging like he’d been dreaming of her doing.

  “Is that Max, I’m yours?” His entire body was strung tight, and he hoped like hell she’d give in.

  “You’re still not playing fair,” she groaned, every nerve ending electrified and in need.

  “Haven’t changed who I am,” he reminded her, his voice gruff and dark with desire.

  No, he hadn’t.

  And he wasn’t saying anything her body didn’t agree with. She already accepted that as long as Max was in the vicinity, she couldn’t resist him. And why should she? They were going to be working together, spending time together… Why not sleep together? And when the project was finished, they would be too.

  Then she could return to her way of safely picking men who couldn’t capture her heart. She just needed to hold on to it during the time she and Max were together.

  “What’ll it be?” he asked in a harsh voice, accompanied by a rough flick to her clit that had stars flashing behind her eyelids and her body soaring toward climax.

  “Fuck me, Max.” She pulled at his shirt, yanking it from the waistband of his pants, then frantically unbuttoning them too.

  “Then tell me what I want to hear.” He grabbed her wrists and held them at her sides. “Who does this body belong to?” he gritted out.

  “You.”

  “Say it.”

  “My body belongs to you.”

  “And?”

  “My…” She ran her tongue over her lips and looked at him. His eyes were heavy-lidded, his gaze filled with desire. All for her. His entire being was focused on her, making it easier to give him the words he sought. “My pussy is yours too.” The only thing she tried to hold on to was her heart.

  Her stark words released his passion. He ripped off her underwear, shoving it into his pocket before stepping back to remove his pants and boxers. They hit the floor. Before she could think, he was back, his heavy cock pushing inside her.

  She sucked in a breath as he worked his thickness into her, groaning as he plunged deep, filling her completely.

  “Fuck, baby, you feel so good. I missed you.”

  Ignoring the lump in her throat and the emotions that came along with this moment, she leaned forward, breathing in his masculine scent and pressing her lips against his neck.

  He groaned, his body quivering inside hers. “Lie back,” he said in that commanding voice.

  She did as he asked, ignoring the pens and papers digging into her upper back.

  “Now bend your knees.” She responded immediately. He grabbed her ankles and began to move, gliding in and out of her sex, sliding out, propelling himself deeper and harder on each thrust.

  Her moans mingled with his, and she was forced to admit, if only to herself, that this felt amazing. So right. It wasn’t just sex. With Max it was always so much more. He didn’t just take charge of her body, he gave of himself as he drove her higher and closer to her climax. Her sex tightened and sensation took over. Nothing mattered but him.

  Having staked his claim, he forced her to face the truth. He dominated her. Possessed her. He owned her body and she shattered, bringing her to heights she’d never experienced before. The kind she’d never know again.

  They each took time to come back to themselves, and Lucy was glad. She needed a few minutes to process… although how you processed the mind-blowing sex that had wreaked havoc with your heart was beyond her.

  Max rose and helped her to a sitting position. He found tissues, and they cleaned up in silence. Her heart beat rapidly inside her chest as she wondered what he expected from her now.

  “We didn’t use a condom.”

  His words were the last she’d expected. She should have thought about it, been smarter. They’d both been frantic and too aroused to think straight. Not that it was an excuse.

  “I’m protected.” She’d never wanted to worry about pregnancy with someone she wasn’t planning on spending the rest of her life with. And since she never intended to have that kind of relationship, long-acting contraception seemed smart. Thinking about it now caused a sharp pain to lance through her chest.

  “You’re on the pill?” he asked.

  “I have an IUD.” She didn’t meet his gaze, instead concentrating on fixing herself up for the walk back through the club. She shimmied her skirt down the best she could, well aware she didn’t have any panties to put on underneath.

  “Hey.” Max tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “If anything happened, you wouldn’t be in it alone. But since I know that’s the last thing you want to talk about, we can
move on. Pregnancy won’t be an issue.”

  Exactly what she wanted to hear. So why did she feel suddenly sad? And blue? Bad enough her brothers and their marriages were stirring up uncomfortable feelings about their childhood and abandonment, but now Max was inadvertently tripping those emotions too.

  She shivered, suddenly cold, and wished she had a sweater to put on over her shirt. As if sensing what she needed, Max pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. “And you can trust me on everything else too. I haven’t used the club in a while, but they insist on physicals, and I just had mine recently.”

  She swallowed hard. “Thank you. I was only with… Well, I made him use a condom.”

  She hadn’t wanted that kind of connection with any man she slept with. In fact, Max had been the only man she’d ever slept with and forgotten to insist on that kind of protection.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  To go out and face the world after he’d carried her through the nightclub like a caveman? If not for the loud music outside these walls, she had no doubt everyone would have heard what they’d done in here… although once they got a look at her, they’d figure it out anyway.

  “Might as well get it over with,” she muttered, pushing herself away from him.

  “We’re not walking through the front entrance. We can go out the back. I have my driver waiting.”

  “You’ll drop me off at my place?”

  He studied her long and hard before answering. “No, Lucy. Either I’ll come up and stay at your place or you can pack and we’ll go back to mine.”

  She blinked in shock. “Wait, what?”

  “You agreed. Your body’s mine, your pussy is mine. And if I want access to what’s mine… we need to be together,” he said as if he made all the sense in the world.

  “Are you insane? I didn’t agree to living with you!”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “No, you didn’t. If I had to guess at what’s going on in that head of yours, it would go something like this. We can’t keep our hands off each other; you want me as much as I want you. Since we’re going to be working together, we might as well reap the benefits of sex too. Then when the restaurant is finished, we’ll go our separate ways. How am I doing so far?”